What the newspapers say: October 29, 2007

Newspapers on Monday read about Romania’s bad image in the German press where arguments arise the country's place is not in the European Union.

Also in the papers today, Romania’s richest businessman, Dinu Patriciu has said he was ready to finance both the Liberals and Social Democrats for the upcoming elections.

Another newspaper reads about the dull character of the European Parliamentary campaign that has just started in ROmania.

Romania Libera reads that the prestigious German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung imagines what if Romania and Slovakia hadn't already joined the European Union. Neither country fulfills the requirements to join the Union, it writes.

Editorialist Karl Peter Schwarz gives accurate details about Romania’s political situation, criticizing the current government. Justice minister Tudor Chiuariu is also in spotlight for trying to stop the investigations against the political class.

Schwarz argues that the main problems with the Eastern European countries are not related to their capacity to adapt to the market economy or the risks of accepting authoritarian rulers. Their main problem is that incapacity of the elites to learn by experiencing and adapt to the new political spectrum, he writes.

Moreover, the Liberal government is harshly criticized for trying to stop all undergoing reforms that lead to Romania’s integration in the European Union.

When talking about Romania’s possible regressions, the German daily reads that a return to dictatorship is out of the question, as democracy is very popular still. Plus, the author argues that what Romanians disapprove of are the high corruption cases, abuse of power and the overall political failure of the elites.

Elsewhere in the news, Romania’s richest businessman, Dinu Patriciu is ready to finance what he calls the most stable political parties in the country, Evenimentul Zilei reads.

Patriciu considers that Romania’s political scene needs a stable coalition that can foster change and economic development. Thus, he puts forward two parties that are historically antagonistic, namely the Liberal party and the Social Democratic one.

The businessman argues that a coalition of the two would be suitable for Romania’s further political development.

Patriciu is well known both for his financial gifts to the Liberals and his friendship with important Social Democratic members.

However, Romanian PM Tariceanu refused to comment Patriciu’s press declarations. His reaction is explained by the newspaper as a normal one, since he refuses to have his party associated with those of the Social Democrats now that European Parliamentary campaign is rolling.

Talking about the campaign, Cotidianul reads about its dull character. All the parties reach high, promising a lot but failing to comply.

The newspaper notes that parties did not succeed in setting up the electoral ads, not even their TV ads yet. Moreover, most political parties rest upon the image of the candidate rather than on the electoral program they offer.